Shadow Hunters

by Anna Hub

  “You’ll be fine. We’ll all be together. Selena knows the Valley better than anyone else, and I’m the strongest. All we have to do is find Brayden and nothing can touch us,” Matt sounded completely confident despite his earlier protests.

  Tara shuffled to get a good look at Rachel. “You think we’re safe here because you’re in a tree?"

  “You’re just saying that to make me go with them.”

  “Am I?”

  Rachel looked uncertain and that was the perfect time for Tara to strike with her Manipulation. “A lot of animals can climb trees and if that happens, there’s no one here who can save you. I’m injured and Nick’s busy with the children. Matt and Selena are at least fit enough to protect you.”

  Rachel scowled. “Fine.”

  She climbed to the ground with shaky hands and stood beside Matt who gave her an encouraging look. It must have been hard for him, but he squeezed her shoulder and shot me a look of warning as we left the camp.

  We moved deeper into the Valley with Rachel between us, walking slowly, checking each swinging branch carefully before we moved forward. Hunters could travel silently when they needed to. We used the trees to scout the area surrounding us, two directing from different vantage points while the third hurried to the next lookout.

  Even with all my experience, it was strange on the ground by myself. My stomach jumped around nervously as the feeling of isolation took over. I breathed slowly and stepped lightly, trusting my ears more than my eyes. I took note of any extended areas of shade, thinking of them as temporary safe zones, because the only thing worse than a hunter, was a hunter with a shadow.

  I hoisted myself into a new tree, freezing as I spotted my first hunter. Dirt covered his skin and he had a thick mass of facial hair and well defined muscles. He was unaware of me in the tree and there was still a safe distance between us. I watched him for a long time, checking which direction he was travelling, seeing if he would sense Rachel. He was alone and he wandered aimlessly for a long time, then his back straightened and he lifted his head, before running away. I signalled for the others to move forward.

  Rachel was careless and loud. Noise coming not only from her footsteps, but also from her mouth. As hard as it was to listen to, it was exactly why we'd brought her.

  We continued until the pit of the Valley came into view and the first sounds of hunters fighting reached us. Matt was at the front, his posture stiff as he waited in his tree and I could only guess what he might be seeing.

  Rachel ran fast to join him while I kept a lookout on the ground around her. When she had climbed to safety, I watched Matt's hand for a signal that it was safe for me to run. I wasn’t sure where I was going to go yet. Either I hid in a tree as I searched for Brayden or dove into the pit and prayed he would find me. In reality, the Valley wasn’t that big. The forest surrounding it took days to pass through, but the actual pit could be crossed in a few hours. He couldn’t be that far away.

  Matt motioned with his hand. I was stuck in the shade of the leaves and didn’t have the opportunity to use my shadow. There was no time to be delicate. I threw myself from the tree and quickly recovered my balance. I ran as fast as I could, slowing only when the Valley deepened and I caught sight of the hunters. They swarmed like bees around honey. I couldn’t make out any new shadows from the Origin and I tried not to think about them. I had to focus on one purpose right now. I was only here to save Brayden—no one else mattered.

  There were more than I expected, their Instinct working as a divine force to keep them clustered together. All of them locked in a battle with that could tip either way. They were closely matched and the end wouldn't come quickly for any of them.

  A female at the edge of the group caught my eye. She was only the second female hunter I’d ever seen and the man sparing with her looked so much stronger. Still, she danced with him, using specks of sunlight to contort her shadow into different weapons, flicking it too fast for my eyes to catch.

  The longer I watched them, the more confident I felt. Just as I'd suspected, the hunters were so focused on their fights, none of them even noticed me. My pulse slowed and the hammering in my chest and ears faded. This was exactly why we needed Rachel. This scene was completely new to her, and although I hated the thought of her suffering unnecessarily, it was her fear that would put us in the game.

  The only thing I didn't understand, was why the cats wanted to use us as bait for these hunters. Why would they bother trying to destroy a species that was doing a perfectly good job of destroying themselves? The cats were too smart to have missed that. Perhaps the hunters' distraction disrupted a different balance. Maybe they were neglecting their usual prey and that in turn, left more work for the cats.

  The woman in the pit suddenly hooked her shadow around the neck of a smaller man fighting beside her. He fell to the ground and although he kicked and twisted, she kept her shadow tight until he slowed and eventually turned limp.

  Rachel squealed at the sight and the female hunter lifted her head with her teeth bared. She stepped over the man she had just killed and the distance between her and Rachel suddenly seemed very small.

  Matt struggled to hold Rachel in place but she lost her balance and slipped from the tree with a huff. I ran toward her, keeping my eyes trained on the hunter as I bolted.

  Another hunter looked up, drawn to Rachel's fear, but before he could come any closer, the female hunter turned on him.

  I wrapped my arms around Rachel’s shaking body and blocked the sight from her. “They'll never reach you,” I whispered.

  Matt dropped beside us. “We should go.”

  “No, this is exactly as I predicted. They're always compelled to beat each other. They'll never get close enough to hurt us.” Rachel had already proven my theory. “Trust me, Matt. I know this will work.”

  I gripped Rachel’s hand tight and turned back to the swarm. Somewhere amongst them Brayden was trapped. I was pretty sure I knew the kind of hunters that would be drawn to him. He'd beaten everyone I'd seen him go up against but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one here who was stronger.

  Matt had his bow pointed on the hunters as we moved around them. Occasionally one sensed our movement and beat their opponent fast enough to lunge at us. Rachel always screamed and Matt stretched the string on his bow, but as I predicted, another hunter intervened every time.

  I was yet to understand exactly what hunters wanted us for. Was it a need to destroy anything that lived, or was it for hunger? My stomach turned at the thought of cannibalism and I quickly shoved it aside. It was more likely about territory.

  “Sel, look!”

  My blood pumped wildly again. This time not from fear, but from excitement. The hunters were a blur of faces and bodies but I found Brayden mixed amongst them. I noticed his hair first. Not because it was unique but because it was so familiar.

  Two hunters jumped on him from either side and he fell to his knees under their weight.

  “No!”

  Matt clamped a hand over my mouth as my scream echoed in the Valley walls. A hunter turned to us with blood dribbling over his eyebrow, hiding the ghostly shade of his eye. It must have been a bad wound for it to bleed through his Instinct. That or he wasn’t strong enough to stop it.

  He stepped closer, his gaze trained on Rachel. Matt stood in front of the girl while the hunter marched toward them. It was the opportunity I was looking for. I jumped in front of Matt, hoping it would be enough to gain Brayden’s attention, but the army man pushed me aside a little too hard and I fell to the ground.

  The slope of the Valley caught me and I rolled a couple of times before being winded by a rock in my path. The hunter stepped over me but the sunlight caused his shadow to drag over me. The black cloak closed over my face, sealing my mouth closed and muffling my cry.

  Suddenly the memory of my final transfer hit me; the way it felt to be trapped between the worlds, unable to breathe. It took every ounce of self control to calm myself.

 
He flicked his shadow back into his hands, ripping the scabs from my cheek in the process. I gasped with the pain and his empty eyes found me briefly before he lifted his head and ran for Matt and Rachel.

  Panic hit. He was too far away from the rest of the swarm; the other hunters were all preoccupied. I dove for his shadow, holding on with all my strength until he turned on me. I was his new victim and that was exactly what I needed.

  “Selena?” Brayden’s voice was too far away.

  The hunter kicked my hands from his shadow and I struggled to right myself. I backed away, jumping from side to side erratically before he could aim his shadow.

  Brayden crashed into the hunter and knocked him to the ground. But that didn't mean the fight was over. My biggest fear was Brayden returning to the pit as soon as he’d won. We needed to find a way to lead the danger a little further away.

  My plan was barely formed when I lifted my bow. I hadn't had much practice but it would have to do.

  I chose a hunter close to the edge of the swarm and took aim, ignoring the tremble of my arm as I struggled to pull the string all the way back to my chin. The arrow flew and struck the hunter in the back of his calf. I recoiled in disgust as the arrow wobbled and the muscle pushed the weapon out. The Instinct rejected the foreign object and prevented him from bleeding where it fell—he was that strong.

  He turned. I grabbed Rachel’s hand and forced her to run, hoping her fear was strong enough to attract the hunter and my proximity to her would attract Brayden.

  Rachel ran fast, her hand fighting to let go of mine but our grip was vital. If she became too distant, my plan would fail. We needed her fear, and my presence, for Brayden to protect us.

  The air seemed to thicken as I struggled to breathe. The Valley slope made it harder to move quickly. Dried leaves slid under foot and caused us to lose footing.

  “Selena?” Matt called out.

  I tried to turn back but Rachel must have panicked at my resistance. She screamed as she tried to break my hold on her once more.

  "Selena?" Matt called again. "The hunter's dead."

  I yanked Rachel back, gripping her shoulders. "It's okay."

  She looked beyond me, where Matt and Brayden were standing beside the fallen hunter.

  "We're not in any danger," I assured.

  I wiped at my forehead to clear sweat. As joyful as I felt to have freed Brayden, I could do more than gasp and squeeze my cramping muscles as I hurried to join them.

  Brayden's eyes darkened and his face paled but I wanted to stay close in case the hunters managed to lure him back into the swarm. Splits on his cheeks and eyebrows leaked blood that his Instinct no longer stemmed. His skin burned where I grabbed him and I could feel his muscles twitching.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  He lifted his head and wiped his hair back, taking a long time before he nodded.

  “Are you hurt?”

  He exhaled and straightened his back as though years of slouching had caused it to reset. He couldn’t even make it to his full height. “Let’s go,” he croaked.

  Matt shrugged at my worried glance and tried to look away while Brayden took his first steps. All the pains in my body seemed distant then. They would heal when I’d had time to rest but I was afraid of what might have happened to Brayden in the time he'd been trapped in the pit. Not only of the physical damage that might have been caused, but the changes to his mind from prolonged exposure to the Instinct.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When Matt told our story to the others, it didn’t sound like he was talking about me. The girl in his tale was brave and quick thinking. They weren't credentials I would list as my own. But I wasn't the same person I'd been when I came to this world. And sooner or later, I had to give myself credit for that.

  Still, I’d had the opportunity to observe hunters and Brayden’s reaction to them. The actions that saved us from the swarm weren't ideas I’d come up with on the spot, but rather months of speculating and research. If you could call it that. I'd learn to use my adrenaline to my advantage. Thinking quickly and drawing upon experience to form logical plans.

  I smiled as the group congratulated me, but my triumph was overshadowed by my concern for Brayden. He'd distanced himself from everyone else, his back turned to the fire as he stared into the darkness. I excused myself and walked over to join him.

  He accepted the fresh water bag I handed to him. It was the second he’d drunk since he'd returned, but he still gasped as though it wasn't enough.

  “Are you okay?” I touched his back with the tips of my fingers but he shivered away.

  He stood up abruptly and I quickly rushed beside him. He pushed me away and continued into the darkness. I was terrified of what had changed in him.

  He paced the ground just beyond my view, leaves crunching where he stepped. I peeked from behind a tree as he kneeled down and vomited up the water he'd just gulped down. Matt lifted his head at the sound and I quickly shook my hand to keep him at a distance.

  I stepped out to join Brayden and found him resting his head on his arm while he leaned against a tree.

  "God. I feel like shit." He wiped at his mouth.

  I crushed my lips between my teeth debating whether to go to him. “You were stuck in the Valley with the swarm. Maybe your body is feeling everything it’s been numb to.”

  Eventually he turned and slid down to a crouch. “How long was I in there?”

  “At least twenty four hours.” Dark bruises and lumps of swollen tissue lined his face.

  I sat beside him as he picked up the water bag again and took a sip.

  “What about our plan to rescue the shadows?” he asked.

  That seemed so long ago now. “You disappeared and Tara rolled her ankle. I managed to find two children but after that we aborted the plan.”

  “Great.”

  I placed my hand over his, feeling his fingers tremble. “Are you in pain?”

  “It’s like the worst hangover of my life. I feel like part of my brain has been eaten away.”

  It scared me to hear that. It was too soon to tell if the Instinct left any permanent damage.

  He tried once more to quench his thirst, then sat down and closed his eyes. Within a few minutes, his head sagged to the side and I shuffled closer so he could rest on my shoulder.

  Eventually I had to break away, my back twisted and uncomfortable from trying to support Brayden's weight. As I shifted, he sunk down to the ground and his breath continued in the same rhythm. It had reached the point where his body literally couldn't take any more.

  “Where’s Brayden?” Tara was the only one left awake when I returned.

  “Asleep.”

  “What about the cats?”

  “I’m sure they’re close.”

  “We watched them from the tree all day. They never tried to threaten us again. I guess you were right about them wanting us to stay here.”

  I nodded.

  “If they were to come too close and threaten us, would Brayden's Instinct still work?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him like this before.”

  “What was it like in there?”

  I wasn’t sure how I felt about the things I’d witnessed. The images would stick with me for a long time to come.

  Tara nodded, the expressions on my face obviously telling her everything she wanted to know. “Matt’s really impressed by what you did.”

  “I just know hunters. That’s all.”

  “Well, I don’t think I can ever call you a weak link again.”

  I managed to smile as I took a sip from a water bag before returning to Brayden's side. For a long time, I lay next to him, watching his chest rise and fall with breath. I was glad to have him back. I shuffled forward, curling around him as I kissed his shoulder.

  I didn’t wake up until Nick shook my shoulders. Every part of my body ached and I wondered how Brayden felt having been through much worse.

  The light hurt my eyes and my throa
t felt raw. Nick handed me a freshly filled water bag.

  "Now we have everyone, we need to get out of here,” Matt joined us. “Is Brayden going to be strong enough to help?”

  “I don’t know.” I rolled onto my stomach because it seemed easier to lift from my knees than use my aching stomach muscles.

  “Can you find out?”

  Matt’s good humour from the night before was long gone. He'd taken it upon himself to lead the group because it’s what he was trained to do. I couldn’t really blame him for being snappy. He was just as drained as I was but he’d found the strength to get up early and motivate everyone else. So I didn’t argue. I sat up. Where was Brayden?

  My heart thumped harder as I twisted around. He wasn't there. I jumped to my feet, battling dizziness as I ran to the edge of the clearing.

  'He's over here," Nick called out.

  I hurried over to him. My throat tight as I peaked over the plants and saw Brayden lying on his side. Fear caused my hands to tremble instantly. I pushed through and kneeled beside him, some of my panic easing as I felt the heat from his body. He was still alive. But in the morning light, his face appeared more damaged than I'd first thought. Slightly puffier than it should have been with dried blood smeared around the breaks in his skin. I brushed a gentle hand across his cheek.

  “Brayden?” I squeezed his shoulders.

  A warm breath shuddered from his lips. I tried again. It seemed cruel to disturb him when he was so exhausted but I didn't have a choice.

  “Brayden?” I spoke louder and cupped his jaw. His eyes popped open but he couldn't focus. I asked if he was okay but he didn't answer. His lips were cracked and I remembered how dry my own mouth felt. I squeezed the water bag near his lips, allowing a small trickle to run into his mouth.

  He closed his eyes while he drank and eventually he managed to speak. “I feel like I should be dead.”

  “I'm really glad you're not." I kissed his cheek.

  "Selena?" Matt tapped his wrist to hurry me and I glared at him, struggling not to snap at him.